THE MERCATOR CHART TUTORIAL

1. On a Mercator chart one degree of longitude is represented by 5 cms. Find the spacing between
the parallels of 12 and 14N.

2. On a Mercator chart the spacing between parallels of 40 N and 45 N is 5.8 cms. Find the scale
of longitude and the spacing between the parallels of 30 and 33 N.

3. Given that the length of a nautical mile in any latitude is found by:

1852.3 9.4 Cos(2 Lat)

Find the natural scale of a Mercator chart in latitude 30 if the longitude scale is 1 cm to 1
longitude.

4. A chart is constructed to a natural scale of 1/50,000 in latitude 50 N. Two points on the chart in
50 N are 90 mm apart. A is to the west of B and is in longitude 5 30 W. Find the distance
between the two points and the longitude of B.

5. Find the dimensions of a Mercator chart covering the area 45 N to 56 N and 7 W to 19 E if

the scale of longitude is 5 cms to one degree of longitude. Find also the natural scale in latitude
50 N.

6. A Mercator chart covers the area between latitudes 50 N and 56 N and between longitudes 170
E and 180 E. If the total length of the longitude scale is 100 cms, find the total length of the
latitude scale and the position in which the diagonals of the chart intersect.

7. A Mercator chart covers the area from 50 N to 45 N and from 4 E to 16 E. If the distance
between two points on the parallel of 48 N is measured against the longitude scale instead of the
latitude scale, find the error incurred if the dlong between the points is 6 15.

8. The scale of longitude of a Mercator chart is 12 cms to 1 longitude. Find the error incurred in
measuring the distance between two points 28 cms apart, against the longitude scale instead of the
latitude scale, if one of the points is on the parallel of 51 N and the other on the parallel of
52 N.

Answers
1. 10.198 cms
2. Longitude scale 0.8577 cms: 1 3.003 cms
3. 1/9600411, 1847.6 metres
4. Distance 4500 metres = 2.43 n.m. Longitude 5 26.22 W
5. 130 cms 86.76 cms, natural scale 1/14300617
6. Lat. scale 99.66 cms. 53 06.3 N 175 E.
7. Dist. against longitude scale 375 miles. DMP 375 Dlat 4 09.4. Distance 249
miles, error 125.6 miles
8. Dist. against longitude scale 140 miles. Correct distance 86.3 miles. Error 53.7 miles